osage score

[texx]

yep scored a log of osage orange today . dont know yet if there is a self bow in it or not . mainly cos i have not built my first yet.
i am keeping my feelers out for more there is a bit of it in my area just a matter of locating it.
if there is not a bow in this log dont matter cos it will get cut up and go into my lathe for bowls , pens and other turned stuff .
i would post some pics of the log but not up on the ins and outs of posting pics on this forum yet being a new member.
the best section of the log is 6 foot long and 7 inch diameter but has a fair old natural bow in it .

[GrahameA]

Texx.

That would be natural reflex.

You can join billets with a fish-tail or Z Splce.

[texx]

hang on worked her out doing it through photo bucket for now .
i read in here some where that you need approval to post attachments , then i read some thing else that said you dont so stick my neck out and .

should get a few bowls and pens out of this if i cant get a bow .

[looseplucker]

Texx

I got a log about that size in terms of length and diamater a couple of years back (and a similar shape) and got 4 staves out of it. You should be able to do the same.

And one stave is now a bow that is about to be sinewed and then it's done.

What I did do is cut it out into quarters on a 21" bandsaw with tungsten carbide heads. A 14" bandsaw won't do for that.

Splitting might have a tad too much wastage but you'd still get a bow.

Don't worry about the curves too much, cut it out carefully and you'll be able to heat bend it straight later or have something with character. There is also splicing as an option.

Dont turn it into bowls......please.....have mercy........

[Stickbow Hunter]

There should be a few bows in that log texx. I like the log of Hairy Oak beside it too.

You don't need any special approval to post attachments, we are always happy to see others photos. It is good if you can upload them direct to the site so they are always here for others to view.

Jeff

[texx]

There should be a few bows in that log texx. I like the log of Hairy Oak beside it too.

You don't need any special approval to post attachments, we are always happy to see others photos. It is good if you can upload them direct to the site so they are always here for others to view.

Jeff

will do the pics that way from now on thanks never thought about the longevity of them .
and yeah hairy oak great to look at but a shocker to try and dry in good size bits .

[Stickbow Hunter]

I think Hairy Oak would be my favourite Aussie wood. My brother has got me a bit over the years and I have used it as risers in a few bows. My son used it to make the surrounds of a beautiful chess board as well.

Jeff

[texx]

this the hairy oak you are talking about
there is a bit of beefwood on the far side of the ute aswell.trouble is most of that load of oak i cut into boards to try and dry it for making some small boxes and stuff and some pen blanks.

[Stickbow Hunter]

this the hairy oak you are talking about

That's it alright - very nice.

Jeff

[Gringa Bows]

i like the hairy oak too,i've got a little bit here ,but havent used any in a bow yet,i like osage as well it looks good under clear glass.

[Hamish]

You have plenty of self bows in there, depending on how you break it down and whether you want to steam/heat bend the staves to get even more. Absolute poor yield would be 4. 6-8 staves if the rings are good. Osage bows can be made narrower than most other bow woods.

Dont bandsaw it, if you want self bows staves. You need a flat suface to safely resaw a log properly, or have it screwed or dogged to a sled, both of which will damage the grain, for bows and reduce the yield.

Split it with wedges, it automatically follows the grain.
Look up some of the recent posts on Osage with a "search". And you will find more info on how to cut and season osage properly, to get maximum yield. Personal message me if you have any more questions, as I hate seeing people waste perfectly good wood.
Hamish.

[looseplucker]

I disagree with not bandsawing a piece that diameter. It can be done without adverse consequences as I have done it myself and with less wastage than splitting and I have a bow just about finished and 2 perfectly fine staves left over (I did have four but sold one).

All depends what you are comfortable doing.

[texx]

You have plenty of self bows in there, depending on how you break it down and whether you want to steam/heat bend the staves to get even more. Absolute poor yield would be 4. 6-8 staves if the rings are good. Osage bows can be made narrower than most other bow woods.

Dont bandsaw it, if you want self bows staves. You need a flat suface to safely resaw a log properly, or have it screwed or dogged to a sled, both of which will damage the grain, for bows and reduce the yield.

Split it with wedges, it automatically follows the grain.
Look up some of the recent posts on Osage with a "search". And you will find more info on how to cut and season osage properly, to get maximum yield. Personal message me if you have any more questions, as I hate seeing people waste perfectly good wood.
Hamish.

splitting it was what i was going to try , i have split plenty of fence posts over the years ,and i had no intention of wasting it .although with the fence posts i normally run the chain saw along the side where i want it to split an inch or so deep might not do the saw thing with this log .
i may be getting one more log but not sure yet i have a bloke keeping a look out for me ,see what happens there

[Hamish]

It all depends on what you are doing it for. If you want to sell staves you probably don't want to invest much time or effort in the process. If you are doing it for yourselves, you can spend as much time as it takes and maximise the yield. That log looks like a good stave log, but it has lots of knots and twists, and you don't know what is happening with the grain on the underside when andsawing. Very often the cut on the top edge might be good but the bottom edge might cut across the grain, lessening the yield. If you split a log small log like this into 1/4s if there is wavy grain, knots, propeller twist whatever you will not cut across these areas. Small logs like this, especially when green, are relatively easy to split, probably done in less time than you can set your bandsaw up and move your log, and do the cuts.
You can do that kind of sawing with a veneer grade log, ie no knots, straight grained, from a straight grown tree A log that size and length is pretty heavy and cumbersome for one man to lift and steer, on a bandsaw, let alone stop it from rolling and twisting, stalling the cut or breaking a blade.

Chainsawing a kerf works well, but best with clear straightgrained logs. Sometimes the split goes away from the kerf, and you can lose more staves

When splitting by hand you can get workable valuable character staves from knotty wavy wood, that sawing just wrecks for bows. Split from the small end, the one with body of the tape measure in the photo. Sever as many interconnecting fibres with a mallet and chisel, before moving onto the next wedge, otherwise you can tear out deep strips from the inner wood if you're not lucky.

Once you have the log in manageable sections, sure bandsaw the quarters in staves if you want, but still follow the grain, be aware of the roll of the crown if there is a propellor twist.

Hamish.

[texx]

hamish you aint wrong its heavy alright i struggled to carry it maybe 30 meters to my ute .
it is longer than what is in the picture the tape is at the 6 foot mark there is another 2 foot or so of log out past the tape but the tape marks the best section from there on there are a few big knots and the stubs where 2 branches were cut off

[looseplucker]

Hamish

Its all part of the magic of using osage......a cruel mistress....

Chainsawing a kerf is a good idea too.

I was lucky with my piece - very little twist and hardly any knots or gnarly bits. It did have some character knobs and a bit of reflex, but nothing that cannot be straightened.

[Hamish]

Osage is magic stuff for self bows, and not easy to get a hold of. The side to side grain across the back of the bowstave, is often overlooked, this is where splitting comes to the fore. If the grain is cut across the sides too much then many times it will twist apart when drawn even with a backing. I get a bit worked up because of some of the stuff I have bought, sight unseen by well meaning people. Logs that could have yielded 2-3 times more staves, if they had been split, and prepared better.
Bandsaw is an awesome tool for taking the bulk of a split into a shaped stave ready for seasoning. When seasoned the bandsaw makes quick work of sawing to shape. Using a hatchet at this stage can be risky, as it can follow the grain(if twisty) to deeply and wreck the bow.
Good luck and happy bowmaking lads.
Hamish.